Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
  • F16B19/00—Bolts without screw-thread; Pins, including deformable elements; Rivets
  • F16B19/04—Rivets; Spigots or the like fastened by riveting
  • F16B19/08—Hollow rivets; Multi-part rivets
  • F16B19/10—Hollow rivets; Multi-part rivets fastened by expanding mechanically
  • F16B19/1027—Multi-part rivets
  • F16B19/1036—Blind rivets
  • F16B19/1045—Blind rivets fastened by a pull - mandrel or the like
  • F16B19/1063—Blind rivets fastened by a pull - mandrel or the like with a sleeve or collar sliding over the hollow rivet body during the pulling operation
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
  • F16B19/00—Bolts without screw-thread; Pins, including deformable elements; Rivets
  • F16B19/04—Rivets; Spigots or the like fastened by riveting
  • F16B19/08—Hollow rivets; Multi-part rivets
  • F16B19/10—Hollow rivets; Multi-part rivets fastened by expanding mechanically
  • F16B19/1027—Multi-part rivets
  • F16B19/1036—Blind rivets
  • F16B19/1045—Blind rivets fastened by a pull - mandrel or the like
  • F16B19/1072—Blind rivets fastened by a pull - mandrel or the like the pull-mandrel or the like comprising a thread and being rotated with respect to the rivet, thereby mechanically expanding and fastening the rivet
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
  • F16B39/00—Locking of screws, bolts or nuts
  • F16B39/22—Locking of screws, bolts or nuts in which the locking takes place during screwing down or tightening
  • F16B39/28—Locking of screws, bolts or nuts in which the locking takes place during screwing down or tightening by special members on, or shape of, the nut or bolt
  • F16B39/34—Locking by deformable inserts or like parts

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a fixture set for fixing an accessory part to a tubular metal profile having a wall, which wall has a front surface, a back surface and a circular opening therethrough.
• a known fixture set comprises a bolt having a bolt head and an at least partially threaded shaft configured to be inserted through an opening in the accessory part and through the opening in the wall; a splitter which has a longitudinal axis and which is sized to be partially axially insertable in said opening in the wall in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis, the splitter comprising a through-hole by which the splitter is configured to be slid onto the shaft of the bolt towards the bolt head in a first direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis; and an integrally formed metal anchor sized to be axially insertable through said opening in the wall, the anchor comprising a threaded part configured to be screwed to the bolt shaft thread and at least two radially expandable arms extending axially away from said threaded part, said arms having a free end configured to lock the anchor against said back surface upon radial expansion of said arms, wherein the splitter and/or the anchor comprise at least two wedge surfaces for expanding said radially expandable arms of said anchor radially
• the fixture set is described in WO 2007/009998 and in WO 2019/228896 where it is used to fix a lock bolt keeper to a tubular post.
• the fixture set is used for fixing an accessory part to a wall, the accessory part typically being: a door keeper; a mounting clamp; a hinge part; a lock bolt keeper; a door actuator; a light fixture; a mounting frame provided to mount an additional part; etc.
• the accessory part often experiences vibrations, e.g. due to the impact of a door impacting the door keeper. These vibrations tend to loosen the bolt and the anchor and may result in their separation.
• the fixture set disclosed in WO 2019/228896 is provided with multiple intentional damaged regions to the thread of the threaded bottom part of the anchor. Such thread damage increases the friction between the bolt and the anchor to prevent unintentional loosening of the anchor and the bolt.
• Such a solution has been found to have several disadvantages.
• the intentional damage only makes it more difficult to screw in the bolt for the first time.
• the screwing of the bolt along the intentional damage in fact fixes (or at least lessens) said damages by overruling the damaged areas. This in turn reduces the securing effect of the intentional damages against vibrational loosening of the bolt.
• the initial difficulty of screwing the bolt into the bottom part of the anchor causes high tension to be applied onto the splitter. This may cause the splitter to break off of the accessory part in case the splitter is integrally formed therewith. More often, however, the splitter is a separate part fitted into a recess in the accessory part. The high tension tends to damage and deform the recess in the accessory part, in particular in case this recess is formed in a plastic part.
• the fixture set further comprises a securing ring having an opening arranged to receive the shaft of the bolt, the securing ring being disposed adjacent the threaded part of the anchor facing the splitter and being irrotatable with respect to the anchor, wherein the securing ring forms, in use, a friction fit between the shaft of the bolt and the anchor or the splitter for preventing the unintentional separation of the bolt.
• the securing ring Due to the placement of the securing ring adjacent the threaded part of the anchor facing the splitter, the securing ring can be easily provided for in the existing manufacturing process of the fixture sets. There is only a single additional manufacturing step (i.e. placing the securing ring on the anchor) and no significant modification is required form the existing anchor, splitter, and bolt.
• a shortest distance between a locally widened region and an end of a respective slit is more preferably larger than a thickness of said at least one protrusion measured in said first direction to allow a sliding motion of the securing ring with respect to the anchor in said first direction.
• the locally widened region causes that the protrusion of the securing ring is in essence trapped between the end of a slit and the locally widened region. As such, the securing ring cannot accidentally become disengaged from the anchor during assembly or earlier during shipping from the factory to a store. An end-user thus need not be concerned with correctly positioning the securing ring with respect to the anchor.
• allowing a minimal sliding motion (due to a certain minimal distance between the locally widened region and the end of the slit being larger than the thickness of a protrusion) of the securing ring with respect to the anchor is advantageous in certain embodiments as described further.
• a thread angle comprised between 70° (or 75°) and 85° has been found advantageous to cooperate with commonly available bolts whose shafts have a thread angle of 60°.
• the tensile strength is substantially the same.
• the tensile strength of the fixture set according to the present invention is not significantly decreased with respect to the fixture set disclosed in WO 2007/009998 and WO 2019/228896.
• Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an anchor, a securing ring, and a splitter of a fixture set according to the present invention.
• Figures 3 and 4 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of figures 1 and 2 respectively.
• Figure 1 illustrates an example of a fixture set according to the present invention used to fix an accessory part 3 onto a wall 1 of a hollow metal post or frame.
• the accessory part 3 is shown as a solid block in the figures to indicate that this is not crucial in view of the present invention.
• the accessory part typically is: a door keeper; a mounting clamp; a hinge part; a lock bolt keeper; a door actuator; a light fixture; a mounting frame provided to mount an additional part; etc.
• the accessory part 3 is fixed against the front surface of the wall 1 .
• the accessory part 3 is fixed to the wall 1 by means of a fixture set which extend through an opening 4 through said wall 1 as shown in more detail in figure 3.
• the fixture set according to the present invention comprises a standard externally threaded bolt 5, a splitter 6, an internally threaded anchor 7, and a securing ring 2.
• the bolt 5 has an at least partly threaded shaft 9 configured to be screwed into a corresponding internal screw thread 27 of the anchor 7.
• the anchor 7, in its unexpanded form, can be inserted in the circular hole 4 drilled in the wall 1 , whilst the splitter 6 can only be partially inserted in this hole 4.
• the anchor 7, in its expanded position is held by the bolt 5, by means of the screw threads 9, 27, against the inside surface of the wall 1 , thus anchoring the whole fixture set together with the accessory part to the post or frame.
• the splitter 6 further has a sleeve portion 11 extending axially away from the flange 10 and configured to fit within said opening 4 as shown in figure 3.
• the sleeve portion 11 has a circular cross-section, but it will be readily appreciated that other cross-sectional shapes are possible (e.g. a hexagonal cross-section), although a circular cross-section is preferred for achieving a maximum strength.
• the sleeve portion 11 transitions into a wedge portion 12 having conical, in particular frustroconical, wedge surfaces 13 separated by ribs 14 as indicated in figure 2.
• the splitter 6 is also provided with a through-hole 15 by which the splitter 6 is configured to be slid onto the shaft 9 of the bolt 5 towards the bolt head 8 in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 17 of the through-hole 15.
• the splitter 6 and anchor 7 are shaped so that, when urged against each other, the ribs 14 of the splitter 6 engage the slits 19 of the anchor 7, substantially restricting rotation of the anchor 7 relative to the splitter 6, and the conical wedge surfaces 13 of the splitter 6 force the expandable arms 20 of the anchor 7 radially outwards, thus expanding the outer diameter of the anchor 7 to a size lager than the diameter of the opening 4 in the wall 1 .
• the radial expansion of the arms 20 is caused by a deformation of the metal anchor 7.
• the placement of the wedge surface is reversed in such that the free end of each arm 20 is wedge-shaped and the splitter 6 is mainly formed by the sleeve portion 11 .
• one or more splitters 6 are integrally formed (in one piece) with the accessory part 3.
• the splitters and the accessory part may in particular be injection moulded from a plastic material or cast moulded from a metal or a metal alloy.
• the bolts 5 are first introduced through openings in the accessory part 3, and then assembled with one or more splitters 6 and a corresponding number of anchors 7, the square heads 10 of the splitters 6 thereby fit into the square recess 21 or elongated groove of the accessory part 3.
• the accessory part 3 with the bolts 5, splitters 6 and anchors 7 is then placed onto the front surface of the wall 1 , with the fixture set introduced through the corresponding holes 4 in the wall 1.
• the splitter 6 further comprises at least one catch 22, preferably a same number as catches 22 as the number of wedge surfaces 13 or arms 20, i.e. four catches 22 in the appended figures.
• the one or more catches 22 are configured to cooperate with a corresponding number of barbs 23 in the free ends of the arms 20 when the bolt 5 is unscrewed from the anchor 7.
• the bolt 5 is removed from the anchor (i.e. when the anchor 7 is urged to slide in a second direction)
• the barbed free end 23 interlocks with the catch 22 thereby preventing the anchor 7 becoming detached from the splitter 6.
• Such a catching action is possible even considering the low elasticity of the metal arms since the catch 22 is placed in a specific area of the splitter 6 as disclosed in WO 2019/228896.
• the anchor is in particular made of a metal which has an elasticity such that when the barbed free ends of the anchor are each expanded over a distance of 2 mm from said longitudinal axis, they contract over at most 40%, in particular over at most 35% and more in particular over at most 30% of this distance when they are released.
• the free ends of the arms of the anchor for example each only contract for about 0.6 mm (i.e. the diameter of the anchor is reduced with 1.2 mm) when the anchor is removed from the splitter after having applied the fixture set onto a wall having a thickness of 2 mm.
• the catch 22 is formed by a discontinuous groove in the wedge portion (see figure 5) but this may also be provided by a discontinuous groove in the wedge portion 12.
• the groove may be a continuous circumferential groove.
• Such a continuous groove can be easily milled in the splitter 6.
• the entire splitter 6 may however be cast in case the splitter 6 is manufactured from a metal or a metal alloy or the splitter 6 may be injection moulded in case a plastic material is used to manufacture the splitter 6. Such a casting process was used to produce the splitters with discontinuous grooves illustrated in the drawings.
• the bolt 5 as shown in the appended figures typically has a diameter of between about 6 mm and about 10 mm and is preferably about 8 mm. Consequently, the diameter of the through-hole 15 is typically between 7 and 11 mm and preferably between 8 and 9 mm.
• the fixture set comprises a securing ring 2.
• the illustrated securing ring 2 comprises a through-hole 30 which allows the shaft 9 of the bolt 5 to pass through the securing ring 2.
• the securing ring 2 further comprises protrusions 31 on its circumference which fit into the slits 19 of the anchor 7 substantially restricting rotation of the securing ring 2 relative to the splitter 6.
• Figure 6 illustrates the anchor 7 and securing ring 2 in more detail in an exploded view and shows that the protrusions 31 fit in the slits 19 of the anchor 7.
• the securing ring 2 is positioned adjacent the bottom part 18 of the anchor 7 and causes a friction fit of the bolt 5 with respect to the anchor 7.
• this friction fit is achieved by providing a single thread 32 on the inner circumference of the securing ring 2.
• This thread 32 does not expand over the full 360° as best shown in figure 7B to allow a relatively simple manufacturing using injection moulding.
• the thread 32 has a different (i.e. higher) thread angle a (as indicated in figure 8) than the thread angle of the thread 9 on the bolt 5. As such, when assembling the fixture set, the thread 32 is overruled by the thread 9 which causes the friction fit.
• the thread 32 may have a different lead than the thread 9 on the bolt 5. This would also cause, when assembling the fixture set, the thread 32 to be overruled by the thread 9 thus causing the friction fit. Furthermore, the distance between the region 35 and the end of the slit 19 in the longitudinal direction 17 is larger than the thickness of the protrusion 31 to allow a minimal sliding of the securing ring 2 with respect to the anchor 7 which allows aligning the start thread 32 of the securing ring 2 with the start of the thread 27 in the anchor 7.
• the securing ring 2 is injection moulded from a plastic material.
• a securing ring 2’ manufactured from metal is shown in figure 9.
• the metal securing ring 2’ likewise comprises a through-opening 30’, circumferential protrusions 3T, and a thread 32’.
• the functioning, placement and operation of the securing ring 2’ is the same as securing ring 2 and will not be described separately.
• the friction fit of the securing ring can also be achieved without resorting to a thread.
• a thread For example, by making the opening 30 in the securing ring sufficiently small compared to the bolt shaft diameter. It may also be achieved by providing a deformable securing ring that is, when assembling, partly pulled into the threaded engagement of the bolt 5 and the anchor 7.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Connection Of Plates (AREA)
• Clamps And Clips (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=85076451

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

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• 2023
  • 2023-07-14 EP EP23742306.6A patent/EP4655512A1/de active Pending
  • 2023-07-14 WO PCT/EP2023/069721 patent/WO2024156376A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2023-07-14 AU AU2023425964A patent/AU2023425964A1/en active Pending

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